- Phone:
- 317-274-2895
- Email:
- shekenne@iu.edu
- Areas of expertise:
- Civic Engagement
- Courts
- Public Policy
Biography
Professor Sheila Kennedy joined the O’Neill School at IUPUI in August 1998 as an assistant professor of law and public policy. Before coming to IUPUI, Kennedy had several careers: she practiced real estate, administrative and business law in Indianapolis, served as the city’s Corporation Counsel, and in 1980, was the Republican candidate for Indiana’s then 11th Congressional District seat. Kennedy was President of Kennedy Development Services, a real estate development company, from 1987-1992, when she became Executive Director of the Indiana Civil Liberties Union (the Indiana affiliate of the ACLU), a position she held until she joined the O’Neill faculty.
Education
- J.D. cum laude, Indiana University School of Law, 1975
- B.S. with honors, Indiana University, 1964
- A.A., Stephens College for Women, 1960
Professional Experience
- Executive Director, Indiana Civil Liberties Union, 1992-1998
- President, Kennedy Development Services, 1987-1992
- Partner, Mears Crawford Kennedy & Eichholtz, 1980-1986
- Republican Candidate, 11th Congressional District, 1980
- Corporation Counsel, City of Indianapolis, 1977-1980
- Associate Attorney, Baker & Daniels, 1975-1977
Highlights
- Chancellor's Faculty Award for Excellence in Civic Engagement (2010)
- Trustee Teaching Award, IUPUI (2009)
- Outstanding Alumni of the Year, IU School of Law–Indianapolis (2008)
- Robert Risk Award for Lifetime Achievement, ACLU of Indiana (2008)
- Johnson Award for Best Paper in Ethics and Accountability (2005)
Selected Intellectual Contributions
- "Talking Politics: What You Need to Know Before You Open Your Mouth." Georgetown University Press (2014; Paperback and audio editions issued 2016)
- "Electoral Integrity: How Gerrymandering Matters." Journal of Public Integrity (September 2016)
- "Is Low Civic Literacy a Wicked Problem?" eJournal of Public Affairs (2015)
- "Civic Literacy and Ethical Public Service: An Under-Appreciated Nexus." Journal of Public Integrity (2013)
- "American Public Service: Constitutional and Ethical Foundations." (with D. Schultz) Jones and Bartlett Publishers (2010)
- "Does Ignorance Matter? The Relative Importance of Civic Knowledge and the Human Tendency to Engage in Motivated Reasoning." (with A. Dusso) Journal of Public and Nonprofit Affairs (2015)
- "Distrust, American Style: Diversity and the Crisis of American Confidence." Prometheus Books (2009)
- "God and Country: America in Red and Blue." Baylor University Press (2007)
- “Religious Paradigms and the Rule of Law: Thinking in Red and Blue.” (ed., A. Sarat) Studies in Law, Politics and Society (2006)
- "The Poor You Have Always with You: The Problem of the ‘Sturdy Beggar.' " (eds., R. Shepard, D. Bodenhamer) A History of Indiana Law (2006)